Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet
by Marcus S. Lazarus
Summary: When the Vision is alerted to the presence of another Infinity Stone on Earth, the Avengers never imagined the unconventional alliance that would be formed against an unexpected foe
1. The Fifth Stone?

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

AN: Something different here, but I wanted to write something that gave the new Avengers a chance to shine in a particularly unconventional manner; hope you enjoy the results. Timeline-wise, this will be set shortly before 'Ant-Man' for the Avengers (I'll clarify why that's important when the time comes); it will become a crossover in a few chapters, but I thought I'd just classify it as an 'Avengers' story for the moment to make it easier to attract attention.

AN 2: For those who want to know, the title was suggested by my friend Nimbus, and means 'Time Flies, Infinity Dwells'

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

Sitting in his room in the New Avengers facility- a strange combination of office and apartment, but it somehow worked- Steve Rogers wondered when being the hero had become so complicated.

It wasn't as though things had been simple back in the Second World War, considering that he and the Skull had been augmented to the peak of human potential by a strange compound that nobody really understood and Hydra had been using a ridiculously advanced power source for their own weapons, but at least then everyone had known who the good guys and the bad guys were and been content with praising their heroes rather than judging them all the time.

Ever since that mess with the Hulk's rampage in Johannesberg and the destruction of Sokovia, people seemed to spend more time criticising and questioning the Avengers' abilities than appreciating the fact that they were fundamentally here to help. He wasn't asking for anyone to make a museum dedicated to them or appoint them as leaders of the world, but he just wished that they could get more appreciation than they were receiving at the moment…

The fact that the new team were still 'finding their feet' didn't help matters much, of course, Taking on Ultron and his drone army was one thing, as the 'plan' was a simple case of smash the drones and protect the people, but Wanda in particular needed more training before she could be completely counted on to back them up in a crisis. Her powers might be exceptional, but while she served as an… interesting… replacement for Bruce as their 'secret weapon'- not that he tried to think of any of the new team as explicitly _replacing_ the original members- he felt that she could have potential as a more conventional fighter as well, if she was more willing to explore her own abilities in terms of hand-to-hand combat.

Of course, it wasn't fair to target Wanda as the 'weak link' in the new team; as he and Natasha had discussed, the new Avengers included some heavy hitters, but they just hadn't had much practise working together. Sam's experience helping them against Hydra gave him a leg-up over the others, but Rhodey still divided his time between working for the military and being an official Avenger, the Vision had a broad range of knowledge with very little actual _experience_ behind it, and Wanda…

On some level, even as he wanted to work past it, some part of him still remembered what she had done to the team as a whole and Bruce in particular during their second major confrontation. The others had accepted that she had moved on from her past vendetta against Tony and the rest of the team, and she had been the one to ask to remain with them once the crisis had passed, but it was hard to find the time to work with her on something like that when her standard approach had worked out well enough so far.

Actually, when he looked back on their new team, Rhodes was the one that it was most 'difficult' to work with when organising training sessions, even if that wasn't any real fault of his. While Colonel James Rhodes was still officially a member of the United States military, his status as their only 'official' superhuman operative gave him a certain leeway even if he was now an Avenger as well, but he was still obliged to respond to requests for his assistance from various higher-ranking officials even if he had enough personal power to refuse if he felt that those orders were an inappropriate use of War Machine's firepower (Although it was a 'public secret' among the Avengers that this was mainly motivated by the military's knowledge that Tony could disable the War Machine armour if he didn't approve of its use). The end result was that Rhodey could sometimes be called away to deal with other matters that required his personal attention far more than the other Avengers, but he had assured them that he would make Avengers business his priority if the two ever clashed.

For the moment, however, Steve felt that what he really needed was the chance to get a better impression for how the Vision and Wanda in particular coped in a combat situation in a manner that he could assess; as it was, everything they'd done so far as a team had been too spread out for him to get a good feel for their capabilities as individuals…

His musings were cut short by a sudden yell that seemed to fill the facility, the sound shocking him even further when he realised that it was the Vision making the sound. Leaping up from his chair, Steve ran towards the source, arriving in the main hanger to see the Vision lying on ground, clutching at his forehead as Wanda and Natasha crouched over his fallen form.

"What happened?" Steve asked, looking urgently at the two women as he walked over to take a closer look at the android; the Vision seemed to be unusually disorientated, but he didn't give any sign that he had been injured.

"We don't know," Natasha said grimly. "One minute he was looking at the various aircraft, trying to determine which he would know how to pilot if the situation called for it, and then the stone let out some kind of… _glow_ and he fell over.

"The _stone_ did this?" Steve asked, his gaze flicking once again to the yellow gem-thing embedded in the Vision's forehead that had once apparently dwelt within Loki's sceptre. Thor had only been able to provide limited information regarding the origin and abilities of the various Infinity Stones, but what Steve had heard was enough to make him concerned about any possibility that they were dealing with another threat relating to it.

"Not… entirely," the Vision said suddenly, shaking his head as he reached up to touch the Stone that was the source of so much of his power. "The Mind Stone itself is secure as it has been since I was granted it; what happened was…"

"Was what?" Wanda asked, looking urgently at the android, showing the same anxiety that Steve was never sure how to interpret. "What did you sense?"

"I sensed…" the Vision began, trailing off for a moment before he looked at them with a new sense of understanding. "I sensed another."

"Another what?" Wanda aske, before her eyes widened in understanding as the Vision continued to touch his forehead. "Another Stone?"

"Correct," the Vision said, looking grimly at the youngest member of the team. "And it was on Earth."

"Oh no," Natasha said, exchanging grim glances with Steve.

Aside from the Vision and the scepter, their experience of the stones might be limited to when Loki opened a portal with the Tesseract and reports of Thor's encounter with the Aether in London, but Thor had told them enough about what the stones were meant to be capable of to make the other Avengers understand his concern about the fact that they were starting to be discovered so easily.

If another one was on Earth somewhere…

"Do you know where it is?" Steve asked the android urgently.

"I have a… _sense_ of its presence, but I do not have its precise location; if I am to find it, I need to follow this sensation until I reach a target," the Vision explained, indicating the stone with an awkward wave of its hand. "Once we get closer to it, I am reasonably certain that I will be able to pinpoint its position; right now, all I have is an idea and nothing more."

"How far is it?" Steve asked. "I mean, can we just drive, or-?"

"A Quinjet would be preferable," the Vision replied.

"Right," Steve said, looking at the other three before coming to his decision. "OK, Rhodes is currently on a mission for his military contacts, and Sam's attending meetings with a few of his support group; if this is another Infinity Stone, we need to move quickly, but we don't want to hit it with everything at once. The four of us should be able to at least assess the situation and work out what to do from there, and so long as we leave them a message, Falcon and War Machine know who to get in touch with if things go against us."

"Agreed," Natasha nodded.

"It sounds like a good plan," Wanda noted. "Shall we go?"

"Immediately," Steve said, looking firmly between the other three Avengers. "Everyone, suit up and assemble at the Quinjet; after everything I've heard about these Stones, the sooner we have it in custody the happier I'll be."

As the Avengers split up to grab their equipment for the next mission, Steve could only hope that this mission would turn out to be as simple as he was suggesting; after everything he'd heard about the Aether from Thor after the Avengers had reassembled to hunt down Hydra, he wasn't entirely comfortable at the thought of what another stone might be capable of if its power was unleashed on Earth when the new team was still so raw…


	2. The Crystal Cave

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

AN: I'm having to take some liberties to explore the area the Avengers are visiting compared to its appearance since it was last witnessed, but I hope the results will be worth it

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

Sitting in the back of the Quinjet alongside Natasha and Wanda as the Vision flew them in what he believed was the correct direction, Steve once again found himself mourning the loss of the camaraderie he'd spent so long forming with the other Avengers. He and Natasha might have a pre-existing friendship, but it didn't seem right to start up a conversation with her that Wanda couldn't participate in, and he had never been able to bring himself to ask for more information about Wanda's background that could inspire painful memories about Pietro.

After all, he'd found it hard to talk about Bucky for a while after Zola's capture, and he still found it difficult to think about that time even with the knowledge that his friend was 'alive' now (albeit still missing and possibly a victim of Hydra's control); things had to be worse for Wanda when she'd actually _seen_ her brother's body.

Actually, considering that it had been late afternoon and none of them knew what was going to be awaiting them when they arrived, it had been easy for Steve to suggest that the two women get some sleep before they reached their destination. As an android, the Vision apparently didn't even need to sleep, and Steve had found his own need for rest one of the many things that had diminished since he received the serum; they'd agreed to remain alert in case anything happened.

As the Quinjet began its descent, the shift in interior noise woke up the two women, but a quick glance was all Natasha needed to confirm that they were just coming in to land. A few moments later, as the jet came to a halt in the middle of a small clearing in what looked like a thick forest, Steve got up and headed for the back of the Quinjet, followed closely by Natasha and Wanda. The Vision took a moment to deactivate the Quinjet's engines fully before he got up and followed them.

"Where are we?" Wanda asked, as Steve hit a switch to open the jet's hatch.

"A forest in England; I spotted a clearing that seems a suitable place to land the jet within walking distance of where the Stone appears to be," the Vision explained, before he looked apologetically over at Steve. "I apologise for not being more precise about our location, Captain Rogers; this part of the world is not one I have a great deal of geographical data on, and I was more focused on following the sensation than consulting any sort of map."

"No problem," Steve said, nodding in understanding at the Vision as he took a moment to make sure that his helmet was secure before turning to address the rest of the team. "Wanda, guard our backs while Natasha holds the middle with me; Vision, lead us to that Stone and let's get it out of here."

Nodding in understanding, the four Avengers fell into formation as they began to walk through the woods, Vision in the lead as the other three held on to their weapons. Under other circumstances, Steve would have appreciated the simple beauty of the woodland around him, but as always, it seemed like he could never visit a wood without a mission taking priority.

As they advanced further into the wood, however, Steve was surprised to see the remnants of old statues and assorted fragmentary walls gathered around them. He was initially curious about what kind of civilisation could have created these ruins, but the Vision's continued progress soon gave him something else to focus on than wondering what had been here in the past. As they walked along a narrow crevasse, they finally reached a thin gap between two particularly thick chunks of rock, the Vision pausing for a moment to stare at the hole before him.

"What is it?" Wanda asked, looking anxiously at the android.

"The stone," the Vision said, looking curiously at the gap before them. "It is there, but… it is _not_ there…"

"It's not there?" Natasha asked, looking sharply at him. "You said-"

"I know what I said," the Vision said, looking at the Black Widow with a brief tone of apology before he focused his attention back on the cave. "There _is_ something in there… and it is definitely an Infinity Stone… but it doesn't seem to _be_ there all the time…"

"OK," Steve said, looking uncertainly at the android. "Any… ideas about that?"

"A few possibilities suggest themselves, given the nature of the remaining Stones currently unaccounted for, but nothing definite," the Vision said grimly. "I don't think it's _dangerous_ , but… we should be careful."

"Always are," Natasha noted, before they advanced further into the crevasse before them.

As the four Avengers reached the heart of the cave, Steve's eyes widened as he stared at the vast interior before them. It might just be stone, but it was filled with all kinds of strange white crystals scattered around the walls, ceiling and floor, each glowing with some kind of strange light that none of them could identify the source of. The cave extended backwards further than any of them could see, with various stone pillars only increasing the number of crystals present, each crystal generating further light in the cave.

"Wow…" Wanda whispered, reaching out to touch one of the crystals, her hand glowing red with her powers as her finger stroked the wall.

"Wanda, wait-!" the Vision began, before the entire cave filled with a sudden green flash of light, blinding the four Avengers as they felt a sudden flying sensation…

* * *

AN 2: So, anyone guessed what the crossover will be yet?

It will be confirmed in the third chapter, at which point this story will be moved to the appropriate crossover section, but anyone who guesses it in advance will learn who my planned villain will be.


	3. An Unusual Awakening

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

AN: I was inspired to create some of the Avengers' 'new' costumes here from images of medieval-style Avengers from Deviantart; I put my own spin on things, but I think the overall looks work

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

Blinking his eyes open, Steve slowly sat up as he took in his surroundings, glancing anxiously around to take in what had happened. He and the other three Avengers were all gathered around what appeared to be the entrance to the cave they'd just entered, the two women only just regaining consciousness while the Vision was taking in their surroundings.

"What… what happened?" the original Avenger asked, looking uncertainly at the android as he stood up.

"I am attempting to determine that myself," the Vision said, glancing back at his team leader. "I have taken a quick survey of our immediate area, and not only has the Quinjet gone missing, but I cannot detect any wireless transmissions at all."

"The jet is missing?" Steve asked.

"There's no wireless?" Natasha interjected in surprise.

"Couldn't we simply be… out of range?" Wanda asked uncertainly.

"Not from my sensors," the Vision said firmly. "And besides, even if we were somehow beyond the range of wireless contact, that would not account for the lowered levels of pollution in the surrounding atmosphere."

"Lowered levels?" Wanda asked, looking curiously at the android.

"There is always a degree of pollution in the atmosphere, no matter how much we attempt to limit exhaust and Mr Stark's own work in clean energy alternatives," the Vision explained. "Right now, however, I am not detecting even the slightest degree of toxic contamination in this planet's atmosphere-"

"You have a theory about that."

"What?" Steve looked sharply at Natasha's statement.

"The Vision might not have started out as human, but he's picked up enough traits to show when he's completely confused," the Black Widow said firmly. "He's too calm to have found all that out while we were unconscious if he didn't already have some idea of what caused it all."

"You are correct," the Vision said, nodding at the Russian spy before turning back to Steve. "I believe that the Stone we nearly discovered in that cave was the Time Stone."

"Time?" the other three Avengers repeated in shock.

"It is one of the only two Stones whose locations are still unknown, based on what Thor told me before he left," the Vision explained. "The Tesseract was the Space Stone, I possess the Mind Stone, the Dark Elves' attack on London was aided by the Reality Stone, and Thor has informed me that the Power Stone was allegedly left in the custody of an alien security force after it was used to attack their world-"

"OK, we'll… talk about that later," Steve said, suddenly wishing he'd shown greater interest in the Infinity Stones when Thor had originally told him about them, rather than deciding to focus on the current threat posed by Ultron's plan. "So… I take it the Time Stone does what it says on the box?"

"But that means…" Wanda began, before looking urgently at the Vision. "Are you saying that we've travelled in _time_?"

"How far back?" Steve asked, his mind immediately shifting to thoughts of Peggy and Bucky; maybe he could still meet them-

"Not in any of our lifetimes," the Vision said, looking solemnly at Steve, as though he'd already guessed what Steve had been thinking. "As I said, based on the lack of transmissions and the lower level of pollution in the atmosphere, I believe that we are at the very least before the Industrial Revolution, if not significantly earlier than that."

"Technology couldn't have just cleaned things up and reached a point that you can't detect the transmissions?" Natasha asked.

"No," the Vision said firmly. "Mr Stark might not keep up-to-date with the fine details himself, but I was instructed to be fully aware of any major developments in all relevant fields that might impact his own work. No matter what we attempt, there is no way that the human race could completely purge Earth's atmosphere of what has been done to it; the only way for the air to be this pure is if we were in the distant past, and I doubt that technology could have reached a point where I am completely incapable of accessing any of the modern signals."

"OK," Steve said, indicating the cave behind him after taking a moment to think about what he'd just learned; he'd coped with a 'jump' forward in time when he was frozen so compared to that, being stuck in the past at least gave him a better idea what to expect from the rest of the world, as well as the nature of this 'jump' giving him a better chance to get home. "I take it, since we're still here, we can't just… try and repeat what sent us here and hope it gets us back to our own time?"

"No," the Vision said. "Even if I could be certain of what chain of events prompted the Stone to trigger this kind of transition, the Stone no longer appears to be in the Cave… although I can still sense echoes of its presence there…."

"Echoes, as in it's moved on?" Natasha asked.

"Echoes as in it isn't there yet," the Vision corrected.

"Yet?" Steve repeated. "You can sense that it's _going_ to be there?"

"My connection to the Infinity Stones is too complex for me to explain in English without discussing higher mathematical concepts that I doubt any of you could understand," the android explained, looking apologetically at the first Avenger. "In the end, I am certain that the Stone _will_ be here eventually, but it is not there at this time."

"So how long do we have until it gets here?" Natasha asked.

"Uncertain," the Vision said, after looking at the cave for a few moments of silent analysis. "I can determine that the Stone will be there soon, but my connection is too imprecise to be clearer; if it helps compare it to how atmospheric pressure and other factors can allow approximate predictions of the weather without being completely accurate."

"OK," Steve said, deciding not to press that issue any further; if the Vision could have given them more information, he had faith that the android would have done so. "So… what do we do now? Wait to find out when it gets here?"

"Hey," Wanda said, interrupting Steve's musings as she walked over to a small pile of objects near the cave. "What are these?"

As they joined the young woman, the other three Avengers were surprised to see four small piles of what turned out to be clothing that evoked memories of medieval-style attire rather than anything from the present. There was one pile with a dark blue jerkin and dark armour that looked like it was just large enough for Steve, along with a long tattered red-and-blue cloak. Another pile included what looked like a black corset and a long robe in a dark red that looked like it would fit Wanda, while a third featured black armour that looked like a heavier version of Natasha's leather outfit. The final pile consisted solely of a long dark robe and a strange dark mask that was evidently designed for the Vision, with even the mask looking like it was a perfect fit for the android.

"Huh," Steve said, picking up the blue armour and holding it against himself. "This is… odd."

"'Odd' is not the word," the Vision said, testing the mask on his face to confirm that it fitted. "These clothes all appear to be designed explicitly for each of us…"

"And someone just left them here?" Wanda sked, even as she curiously studied the dark red robe. "Why?"

"One of many things we shall need to investigate," the Vision said, as he placed the mask on his face before shrugging on the robe, which settled to not only cover his body but even cast enough of a shadow in the hood to hide the parts of his head that the mask didn't conceal. "After all, I doubt that someone would leave us these clothes if we are not meant to use them."

"And what makes you so sure that we should?" Natasha pointed out, even as she picked up the light black armour to examine it more closely.

"If someone was trying to set a trap, wouldn't they do something a more subtle than giving us clothing that wouldn't blend in?" the Vision noted.

"Good point," Wanda said, examining her own attire with a thoughtful smile. "We already know we're in the past; this gives us something to wear so we can take a look at the area, without leaving us… obligated to take action or interact with anyone."

"Fair point," Natasha nodded, shaking her head as she studied the clothing in front of her before she sighed in resignation. "Well, we can't exactly wait here hoping the Stone will arrive…"

"To say the least," Steve smiled, looking thoughtfully at the blue armour before looking up at the women. "Find somewhere to change, and let's start walking; the sooner we find someone else here, the better."

* * *

When she had become part of the Avengers, Natasha was never sure what she had expected would happen to her, but even her wildest imaginations hadn't prompted her to think of this. She'd come to expect that she would deal with unusual situations when she helped a Norse god fight off an alien invasion, but the concept of time-travel was something that she'd never seriously expected to have to deal with.

For the moment, it was easier to just focus on the idea that her latest assignment would require her to potentially infiltrate a renaissance-style LARP game; time travel might be cool as a concept, but when you were stuck in the past, the priority soon became making sure you could get back.

Still, even if the purpose and origin of their 'disguises' were still unknown, Natasha had to approve of the choice of whoever had made them. Steve's armour was fairly solid with just enough traits from his usual uniform to make sure that he was 'comfortable' without standing out from other suits, and the lightweight armour provided to her and Wanda reminded Natasha of things she'd read about in history books about female warriors as part of her training for the Red Room.

Even if she couldn't be sure why someone had provided them with these clothes, they'd clearly taken great care when putting everything together…

The sound of gunfire resembling the Chitauri weaponry ended Natasha's moment of reflection, the other Avengers only needing to exchange glances before they ran in the direction of the sounds. Pausing as they reached a break in the treeline, they witnessed a group of five men dressed like medieval knights trying to fight off another, larger group wearing some kind of green-and-purple armour wielding weapons that looked like a bizarre amalgamation of a laser gun and a lightsabre, the knights only just managing to avoid being struck by either weapon as they were hemmed in by their opponents.

"We help the knights?" Natasha glanced over at Steve, his resolute expression the only answer she needed.

"We help the knights," Steve confirmed as he slung his shield onto his arm before glancing over at the youngest Avenger present (Natasha knew that the Vision was younger, but it was hard to consider him that way when he had so much knowledge from his various progenitors). "Wanda, you may want to stay back; if the clothing reflects our current era, the last thing I want is to risk anyone trying to burn you at the stake because you revealed your powers."

"Understood," Wanda said, her tone sullen for a moment before the Vision moved closer to her, prompting a slight smile from the girl before the four Avengers leapt into action. As both sides turned to take in the new arrivals, Steve flung his shield at the nearest three men, his trademark weapon striking all three in the chest before it returned to his arm. Although the shield didn't crack their strange armour, the force of the blow knocked them all to the ground, allowing the nearest knight to stab his sword into their exposed heads before they could regain their breath.

As the armoured men turned to face the approaching Avengers, Wanda grabbed a weapon from one of the fallen attackers and lashed out with it, not even bothering to activate the weapon in favour of just using it as a blunt instrument against their enemy's exposed heads. Drawing her 'stun sticks', Natasha took care to use them only as blunt instruments as she struck their enemies as hard as possible, weaving neatly around their attempts to strike back as quick glances to either side confirmed that Steve and the Vision were acquitting themselves against their foes, Steve's shield and the Vision's enhanced density allowing them to knock their enemies down despite the armour.

Even with the need for the Vision to restrict his attacks to something that a human could theoretically unleash, he was still able to do enough damage to crack the enemies' armour, allowing the five knights to finish the job by exploiting the damage to fully destroy the armour before moving on. A part of Natasha noted that he was staying close to Wanda, but put it down as their strongest member taking automatic care of their most 'handicapped', and the woman who had adopted the name 'Scarlet Witch' still showed a surprising degree of skill despite her limited hand-to-hand combat experience as she flipped a couple of her attackers off their feet.

With the aid of the knights, it only took a few moments for the purple-and-green guards to fall, leaving the four Avengers standing over their fallen foes as they looked at the five knights, Wanda dropping her temporary weapon while Natasha put her sticks back into the holsters on her legs.

"We… thank you for your assistance," one of the knights said, looking slightly awkward as he addressed the four strangers. "We had expected… but we had no _idea_ …"

"You knew those men?" Wanda asked before Natasha could stop her.

"We have been… investigating reports of strange activities in the forests, but we never expected… they fell on us without warning…" the knight shook his head in frustration before he looked back at the Avengers. "And… who are you?"

"Maybe you could… tell us where we are, first?" Steve asked, looking apologetically at the other man. "We've been… travelling for some time; we've… lost track of where we are."

"Of course," the knight said, nodding at the captain in understanding. "You are currently in the kingdom of Camelot, reigned over by Uther Pendragon."

It was only years of training, relative cultural ignorance, and a natural self-control that stopped all four Avengers gasping in shock at that revelation.

They were in _Camelot_?

Natasha wasn't sure what was the greater shock; the idea that the kingdom of Camelot had actually existed in this kind of state, or the fact that she and the other Avengers were actually _there_ …

AN 2: And there you have it; my crossover element is the BBC TV series 'Merlin', set between Seasons Three and Four of the show (More information forthcoming with the next chapter), which I hope will meet with your approval.


	4. Avengers in Camelot

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

Once they'd been told where they were, it hadn't taken Steve long to consider the implications of that revelation. It had been a while since he'd read anything relating to the legends of Camelot, but the heroic knights had always been one of Steve's favourite story-topics when he was a child; he just hoped that what he remembered of the myths from those long-ago bedtime stories was accurate.

Even if Merlin was Uther's advisor at this time, based on what Steve remembered of the stories of Arthur's conception, it would be best if Wanda avoided any displays of power for the moment in case it was misinterpreted as magic. Off the top of his head, he couldn't remember when Morgan le Fay became a problem for Camelot, but it would be easiest if they didn't have to waste time assuring people that Wanda wasn't an actual 'witch' in the sense that she was dangerous to anyone. With that in mind, they had provided a basic introduction of their names- with the Vision calling himself 'Victor' for some reason- before Steve had requested that they all be taken to the king, as they had a complex story they had to tell him.

The fact that the knights had been introduced as Leon, Elyan, Lancelot, Gawaine, and Percival didn't do much to answer Steve's questions; considering that Uther was still being introduced as king, the fact that Lancelot was already a knight raised several new ones based on what Steve remembered of the myths, even if he was keeping his curiosity secret. After a check confirmed that three of their strange attackers had died of their injuries while the other two were alive but unconscious, the Vision and Percival had volunteered to carry the living ones back to Camelot, leaving the rest of the group to walk back on their own.

"So," one of the knights- Gwaine, Steve remembered- said, looking curiously at the Avenger in blue as the small group of nine walked along the path, "what brings you to this fine kingdom of ours?"

"I… think that's something I should explain when we get to court," Steve said, stuck for anything better that wouldn't give away how little he knew about this situation. "But… could you explain those men you were fighting?"

"Probably simpler than anything you've got to tell us," Gwaine shrugged. "There's been reports of strange men going around attacking locals for the last few days; we were trying to find out more, but all we found were those guys."

"So… they weren't who you were looking for?" Wanda asked uncertainly.

"Well, they match the descriptions; we just obviously can't get much out of them until they wake up," Gawaine said, indicating the two men slung over Percival and the Vision's shoulders with a slight smile. "Seriously, that Victor guy's a lot stronger than he looks; where did you find him?"

"That's… part of the complicated story you'll hear when we talk to your king," Steve explained, glancing awkwardly back at the rest of the team; Wanda and Natasha were hanging slightly back from the other knights, Natasha content to observe while Wanda seemed to just be taking in everything around her.

After a few more miles of walking, the small group finally came within sight of the castle, prompting an impressed exchange of glances among the four Avengers. It might not be as large as Stark Tower, but the large white turrets and vast stone walls created a very distinct impression, living up to every image Steve had ever formed of the kingdom in his mind.

As they walked through the town, taking in the surrounding people in medieval garb and horse-drawn carts, every step reinforced the fact that the four Avengers were currently in the past with no known way of returning home. The artist in Steve could appreciate the visual impression created by everything around him, and the soldier had to admit that Camelot seemed like a fairly secure structure if it came down to a fight, assuming that all parties concerned had only medieval technology available (Part of his training for that mission to Castle Zemo had involved studying medieval warfare techniques in case they provided some clue to a weakness in the castle's defences). The Avengers attracted some curious expressions from the local citizens, particularly given the Vision's wooden mask and long cloak, but apparently the presence of the knights was enough to deflect any immediate concerns and everyone was otherwise content to let them keep walking at their own pace.

As they reached the central building, the knights marched directly into a main hall of some sort, where Steve was surprised to see a young, fair-haired man in a loose red tunic sitting in the throne, an old man in a long brown robe and a young man with dark hair in a brown jacket over a blue shirt on either side of him.

If this was Uther, he was significantly younger than any of the myths Steve had heard before…

"What is it?" the young man said, looking up just as Percival and the Vision placed the unconscious figures on the ground in front of the throne. "Are these-?"

"Those attackers we were looking for?" Gwaine finished, smiling at the young man. "We're fairly sure they're some of them, anyway; we found them close to where that last convoy was attacked, and then these four just… well, they saved us."

"Saved you?" the young man said, looking at the four Avengers in surprise.

"We have experience at dealing with… particularly unconventional adversaries," Natasha put in, stepping forward and actually inclining her head in a slight bow at the young man in the throne. "We were travelling through your kingdom, but when we saw your knights under attack, we felt obligated to assist."

"Really," the young man said, looking inquiringly between the four new arrivals. "And what were you doing in Camelot?"

"If I may explain, your Highness?" the Vision said, stepping forward with his hands concealed in the sleeves of his folded robes and the wooden mask hiding his face.

"You may," the young man nodded at him.

"My name is Victor, and I am a member of the ancient Infinity Order," the Vision explained, before he turned to indicate the other Avengers. "Sir Steven and Lady Natasha are my guardians, and Lady Wanda is my… apprentice."

"What is this 'Infinity Order'?" the old man asked, looking curiously at the Vision. "I have not heard of it."

"Nor should you have; we rely heavily on our secrecy," the Vision explained solemnly. "Our purpose is to guard and conceal all knowledge of the six Infinity Stones from all others; we would not be well-suited for this role if we were well-known."

"The Infinity Stones?" the young man beside the throne asked; Steve guessed that he was the king's manservant or something like that. "What are they?"

"Six objects of great and terrible power, each possessing complete control over some key aspect of the world," the Vision explained. "An associate of my order tells of a legend when one of the Stones was almost used to cast the entire world into darkness, and he is aware of another story where a second Stone nearly caused the destruction of an entire kingdom when an enemy of that kingdom used it as a weapon."

"And you seek these stones for what purpose?" the man in the throne asked.

"Merely to contain the stone and relocate it to a secure location," the Vision continued. "The Infinity Order has no interest in using the Stones for ourselves; we just want to claim them so that nobody else can use them."

The man in the throne looked thoughtfully at them for a few moments, until he nodded in acceptance.

"Very well," he said, looking around at the four Avengers. "So… if you are in Camelot, shall I assume that an Infinity Stone is here?"

"We have reason to believe so," the Vision said.

"Could it be related to these attacks we were looking into?" Elyan asked, looking curiously at the Avengers.

"You mean, could these men be looking for the Stone?" Natasha asked, indicating the two unconscious figures on the floor. "It's certainly possible; their weapons… seem more in line with the kind of people who would be after the Stone."

"I see…" the man said, looking thoughtfully at the Avengers for a moment before his gaze settled on the Vision. "If you swear that you have no intention to use these Stones yourself, and are genuine in your desire to take it somewhere secure, then we will do what we can to assist you in finding it."

"Thank you, your Highness," the Vision said, inclining his head slightly.

"If I might ask," the old man interjected, stepping forward to look curiously at the Vision, "is the mask a tradition in your order?"

"Only for myself," the Vision replied smoothly. "I am traditionally the Keeper of the Knowledge of matters relating to the Mind Stone, but the circumstances of my encounter with it…"

"His face is… disturbing," Wanda explained, speaking for the first time as she moved forwards to place a comforting hand on the Vision's shoulder. "We are used to it, but… the way people react to him… the mask is easier."

"I see," the old man said, looking solemnly at the Vision. "I am a physician myself; if there is anything I can do-?"

"Your offer is appreciated, but unnecessary," the Vision nodded reassuringly. "Those I trust are aware of my circumstances, and the mask is a comfortable compromise."

"In the meantime," Natasha put in, stepping forward as she indicated their prisoners, "we should prepare to interrogate these men; whether they're here for the Stone or not, they are the kind of problem we're used to dealing with."

"Even if they aren't here for this 'Infinity Stone' you're looking for?" the man in the throne asked.

"Like Natasha said, whatever they're here for, they're the kind of threat we tend to deal with," Steve explained; the Vision's story might be improvised, but he had to admire the way the android had told most of the truth. "The Stone is our priority, but until we know otherwise, we'll assume that these people are interested in it as well and act accordingly."

"If nothing else," Natasha put in, "I would be willing to help you interrogate your prisoners."

"Really?" the man in the throne said, looking at Natasha in a critical manner. "You have… experience in that area?"

"She previously tricked the last person who sought to use the Stones for his plan into confessing crucial details of his scheme before he was ready," Steve stepped in, guessing the main reason for the man's scepticism. "Whatever she might appear, Natasha is one of the most skilled interrogators and investigators I've ever known."

"Very well," the man in the throne said after a moment's thought, turning to address the man standing at his side. "Merlin, see if you can find these people rooms in the castle while we move the prisoners to the cells; we shall see what they have to say when they regain consciousness."

The sudden flurry of activity at that command was all that stopped the natives of this era registering the Avengers' shocked glances as they took in the young man's name.

If that man was _Merlin_ …

Steve had always known that historical records could be 'altered' to suit whatever best suited those in power, but if something as basic as Merlin's age- and maybe even Uther's- was 'wrong', what else were they off about?

If they were going to track down the Stone and work out what those men were doing here, they needed to find some way of learning more about this world without revealing what they didn't know as soon as possible…


	5. An Aborted Interrogation

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Feedback: Always appreciated.

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

Sitting in the Camelot library a couple of hours later, as he poured over the various scrolls written about the kingdom's recent history, Steve wasn't sure if he should be impressed or depressed at what he'd discovered.

After they'd been shown to what would be their rooms for the duration of their time in Camelot, Steve had quickly decided that their immediate priorities had to be a combination of working out what those soldiers were here for and what was actually happening in Camelot compared to what he'd expected from the myths. Natasha had already volunteered to help interrogate the soldiers, Steve had volunteered to do some research into Camelot's own history based on his similar experience working in Castle Zemo, while the Vision and Wanda had volunteered to look around the kingdom and get a better idea what had been taking place here recently from the perspective of the common people. Finding the appropriate texts had been difficult, but Steve had spoken with Geoffrey of Monmouth- apparently Camelot's equivalent of a librarian- and had received permission to read up on Camelot's history to try and find further ideas about where the Time Stone might be, which also gave him the chance to confirm some of the kingdom's recent history.

It hadn't been easy to request the kind of texts he needed without doing anything that might give the game away, but Steve was surprised to learn that he hadn't been addressing Uther during their earlier meeting with the king. According to Geoffrey, apparently Uther had been wounded during a recent takeover of Camelot and Arthur was acting as 'regent' for a time. With that discovery, Steve had managed to track down a few other scrolls, soon confirming that the mythological idea of Arthur being illegitimate and raised in secret was apparently just that. While it was a slight let-down to learn that Arthur had actually been raised as a prince with no reference to the sword in the stone in anything he'd read so far, he supposed that it made more sense than accepting that anyone would follow a boy with no obviously legitimate claim to the throne just because he could pull a sword out of a rock.

The thing that really troubled him right now was what he was reading about the kingdom's attitude towards magic. He could appreciate that magic could be a problem in the wrong hands, but there had to be some people who used it for more positive reasons, rather than everything he was reading about Uther's concerns that magic was a corrupting, destructive influence…

He might be making a few assumptions based on his sketchy knowledge of the legends, but he doubted that Merlin would have made such a positive impression on the mythology if he'd been corrupted by his magic.

Of course, even if magic wasn't the corrupting influence Uther believed it to be, that raised several questions about what Merlin's role was in this kingdom. He almost had to have magic himself given the sheer scale of the legends about him- nothing could come from nothing, after all- but that didn't explain why he'd be in a kingdom that hated his kind…

* * *

Sitting outside the Camelot cells, Natasha had to remember that she couldn't exactly complain about the primitive nature of the conditions here when that was literally all that her newest 'allies' had to work with.

 _Camelot_ …

She might not have grown up on the legends of Camelot as a child, but she'd heard enough about the legends to have some idea of what these people would inspire in the future, which reinforced the sheer scale of what she was dealing with right now. On some level, a part of her had hope that what she had created with the other original five Avengers would create some kind of legacy for her given the impossibility of natural procreation, but there was still a difference between hoping that you would be remembered and working with people who would create a true lasting legacy in their future.

She didn't think of herself as a starry-eyed romantic, but someone would have to be made of stone to be here and not recognise the scale of what they could be dealing with right now…

"So," the distinctive voice of Sir Gawaine said, as he walked up to join her with Sir Lancelot just beside him, "how did you end up joining this 'Infinity Order'?"

"A long story that I'd rather not discuss," Natasha said grimly; she'd have to edit whatever story she gave them to accommodate the time-travel anyway, but she still wasn't in the mood to share any details about training after everything Wanda had brought to the forefront of her mind during their second confrontation with Ultron. "Shall we get on with this?"

"If you like," Lancelot said, despite a certain uncertainty in his manner as they entered the cell. "I'm just… well, if they were strong enough to do everything we've seen so far…"

"Don't worry; torture isn't part of what I do," Natasha said, anticipating what was most likely to be Lancelot's main objection to anything she might do here. "I've learned… less direct methods of persuasion."

"Do we want to know?" Gawaine asked.

"Let's just say my superiors before I joined the Order were… less noble," Natasha said solemnly.

Gawaine and Lancelot nodded in solemn understanding of her words, each recognising her unwillingness to discuss the matter further even as she led the way into the cell. So far only one of the two prisoners had regained consciousness, and based on what Natasha had overheard, the court physician wasn't sure when the second prisoner would wake up if they ever would, so they were confined to interrogating this prisoner.

"Who…?" the prisoner said, looking up from his position chained to the wall, eyes widening as he looked at Natasha. His helmet and most of his armour had been removed to limit the threat he might pose if he tried to escape, but even unmasked, his features presented little in the way of clues that might help them work out where these strange soldiers came from.

"We've met," Natasha said, looking firmly at the prisoner as she folded her arms, grateful to sense Lancelot and Gawaine standing slightly behind her; they might not know her well, but they'd picked up on her plan to put this man off-guard by confronting with a threat he was less likely to be ready for. "What I want to know now is who you're working for and what you're doing here."

"Shouldn't you be answering those questions yourself?" the man countered, which at least answered one of Natasha's questions before she'd even asked it; whoever this man worked for, he had at least some idea that she wasn't from around here herself.

"Lady Natasha and her fellows are not the ones who attacked the Knights of Camelot without provocation," Lancelot said, glaring resolutely at the other man. "And judging by the descriptions we have heard, you and your fellows are the ones who have been attacking innocents for the past few days."

"Fair point," the man said, shrugging in an exaggeratedly nonchalant manner as he looked between the three before his eyes narrowed as he focused on Natasha. "I don't know how you and your associates came to be here, but you won't win; the Conqueror will claim his prize!"

With that, the prisoner clenched his jaw shut, and suddenly began to shake as froth and spit burst from his mouth, shaking in a manner that Natasha recognised all too well. Yelling in shock, Gawaine and Lancelot practically dived towards the prisoner, but by the time they'd forced his mouth open, he was clearly already dead.

"What was _that_?" Gawaine asked, looking between the dead man and Natasha in confusion.

"Poison capsule in a tooth," Natasha said, a quick glance all she needed to confirm that one of this man's teeth was broken in a manner that couldn't just be an accident or natural decay, particularly when all of his other teeth were in such good condition for the current time.

"In a _tooth_?" Lancelot repeated.

"One of his teeth would have been removed and replaced with a fake that he could break by biting down on it in the manner we witnessed," Natasha said, as she looked back at the two knights. "I've encountered that method before in my training before I joined the Order."

" _You_ -?" Gawaine began.

"I never needed it," Natasha said, before she looked grimly back at the body. "But that raises questions about how this man was able to have something like that…"

"Or why he didn't use it until now," Gawaine noted.

"And what kind of person he follows who demands that kind of commitment," Lancelot added grimly.

In some ways, that observation made Natasha feel more concerned about this turn of events.

If someone with these resources had the ability to come back in time this far on purpose…

Maybe she was just being paranoid, but considering the exceptional nature of the current circumstances, combined with her encounters with Loki, Hydra, and Ultron, Natasha felt that paranoia was a justifiable reaction in these circumstances.

Besides, as much as she didn't like to admit it, Lancelot had made a valid point that she'd almost overlooked; why had this man waited until she'd come here to kill himself?


	6. Contemplating Camelot

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

AN: Another 'info-dump' chapter, but things will move on in the next one, I assure you

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

When Natasha walked into the rooms that had been allocated to the 'Infinity Order' for their time in Camelot, Steve didn't need to be an expert at reading people to know that her day hadn't been as productive as his.

"No luck with the interrogation?" he asked.

"Aside from learning that they're more advanced than we expected, not really," Natasha confirmed grimly. "The one I spoke to seemed to have some idea of who I was, and he mentioned someone he referred to only as 'the Conqueror', but then he committed suicide with a cyanide capsule in his tooth before I could get anything more out of him."

"Suicide?" Steve repeated, before he registered the specific mechanics of what Natasha had just told him. "Was that even possible now?"

"Doubtful," Natasha said grimly, as she sat down opposite him at his parchment-covered table. "It's not much on its own, but add in the armour they were wearing, and I think we can start to safely assume we're dealing with other time-travellers."

"Great," Steve said, staring up at the ceiling in frustration at that revelation. "It's not like this mess wasn't complicated enough…"

"The question is what they're doing _here_ ," Natasha noted. "Are they just here for Camelot, or is it something else?"

"I would be inclined to suspect that they are here for the Stone," the Vision's voice put in, as he walked into the room with Wanda just behind him, each still wearing their new 'medieval' outfits. "Camelot is of historical significance, but its mythological ties would make it a complex place to try and alter history."

"Because they couldn't be sure how any changes they'd make would affect everything else?" Natasha asked.

"Potentially," the Vision noted. "Even Asgard has little information regarding any documented cases of past time travel, so we cannot be certain what the consequences would be of any changes that may occur, so it would be best to minimise our impact on this time in any case."

"So… they're after the Stone?" Steve asked, shaking his head in confusion as he tried to get the conversation back to a topic he could understand. "But if they already had time-travel-"

"The power of the Stone goes beyond simply allowing the owner to travel in time," the Vision explained, looking solemnly at Captain America. "That is its most obvious asset, but from what I learned from Thor, if in the hands of someone with a strong will and a focused mind, the Time Stone would grant them visions of possible futures and the ability to see into the past. On a personal note, it could also be used as a weapon, allowing the wielder to stop, slow down or speed up the flow of time, aging or de-aging others and trapping anything from individuals to entire worlds in unending loops of time."

"Oh God…" Wanda said, looking at the masked android in horror.

Steve couldn't blame her; the Tesseract had been dangerous enough when it was just a power source for Zola's weapons, the Mind Stone's power was intimidating even if he trusted the Vision with it, and he'd only heard second-hand accounts of what the Aether had been capable of before Thor had managed to contain it, but if the Time Stone could do all _that_ …

"Is there anything in these scrolls that might help find it?" Natasha asked, indicating the papers spread out before him.

"A few possibilities, but nothing concrete; I need more than basic academic work before I feel comfortable picking anywhere under these circumstances," Steve said, looking over the scrolls once more as he shook his head in frustration. "We can probably focus on that cave where we found… _some_ trace of it in the future, but based on how everything's been going so far, we can't exactly guarantee anything just because that's the way it was in our time."

"And do we even know exactly where it is from here?" Wanda asked. Natasha opened her mouth to respond, but closed it and shook her head apologetically at Steve; Steve knew from experience that the Black Widow was normally good with finding locations, but this was far from her usual environment.

"I may be able to trace our route back to it when the time comes, but for the moment, I am detecting no trace of it via the Mind Stone," the Vision put in apologetically.

"Which at least means that we have some way of knowing when it arrives, even if that won't help us get there faster when it does if the other side is closer," Natasha noted, only Steve's experience with the last original Avenger helping him see her relief at that news.

"True," Steve confirmed. "Like with the Stone, I've managed to identify a few likely locations where someone might hide out without being found, mostly locations of old massacres or something along those lines, but we just don't know enough to say anything for certain."

"Like whether these people are even here full-time or not," Wanda put in.

"Excuse me?" Natasha asked.

"Well, if they can travel in time, why would they need to have a base here?" Wanda asked, looking between the two senior Avengers. "They could just send people back in time and then travel home when they were done-"

"They wouldn't do that," Steve said firmly; as much as he appreciated the younger girl's initiative, it wouldn't do for her to get focused on a bad theory. "It's bad practise, if nothing else; if they're looking for something this valuable, they'd probably want to keep someone on site on a full-time basis."

"Not to mention that encouraging reliance on that kind of system could be careless," Natasha noted. "I know that none of us know much about time travel, but since we haven't heard anything to suggest that these people have sent something large back in time, I think we can assume that they can only commit so many resources to whatever they're doing here."

"Maybe they're trying to minimise their impact on history like we are?" Steve asked.

"Hopefully," the Vision said grimly. "We have to keep in mind that anyone seeking an Infinity Stone may not be that interested in minimal collateral damage; past experience shows that those who seek the Stones tend to go all-out when taking action to acquire them."

"All the more reason to assume that they can only deploy so many resources to this time period," Natasha said. "We might be limited, but at least we've already got everything we're used to falling back on in a crisis."

"We hope," Wanda noted grimly.

"If this was easy, everyone would be doing it," Steve said, before looking back at the two newer Avengers. "And talking of needing information, what's been happening in this kingdom recently that we should know about?"

"Many things," the Vision said. "For one thing, it would appear that the recent attack that left King Uther catatonic was led by Morgana le Fay, who was angered at Uther's persecution of magic and his own refusal to officially identify her as his daughter."

"She was Uther's daughter?" Steve asked, trying to recall some of the myths he'd read in his childhood. "I knew that most myths agree on the fact that she was Arthur's sister, but I thought that was from his mother's previous marriage…"

"The specifics are not known to the common people for obvious reasons, but I have heard enough to confirm that Uther was her father," the Vision noted. "Evidently, history is far more complex than we believed from the myths, particularly if Lancelot has come while Uther is still alive and Merlin is so…"

"Young?" Wanda finished for the android, smiling slightly as he looked at her. "I don't know much about British myth, but I know that Merlin should be an old man."

"Or at least we always _thought_ he was," Steve said, smiling at the young Avenger's amusement before he turned back to more immediate matters. "Anyway, Morgana's parentage aside, what else have you found out?"

"Magic has been officially prosecuted in Camelot ever since the death of Uther's wife immediately after Arthur's birth," the Vision explained. "Exactly what took place is unknown, but it is generally speculated by those who were alive back then that the court sorcerer of the time, Nimueh, was in some way responsible for the death of the Queen, and Uther turned his rage on all magic even after Nimueh had fled."

"Nimueh… wasn't she the Lady of the Lake?" Steve asked.

"In some sources, yes, but I have heard nothing to suggest that Nimueh is even still alive now, although she may have received that title from a time she dwelt in a temple on an island," the Vision said, looking apologetically at Steve for a moment before continuing his story. "In any case, there have been various occurrences in Camelot that have been attributed to magic either at the time or in hindsight, such as rumours of magical beings taking part in certain past tournaments or an attack by a dragon a year or so ago-"

"Dragons?" Steve and Natasha said simultaneously, Wanda only silent because she'd already heard part of this story during their search.

"Dragons are _real_?" Steve said, grinning despite himself as he looked at the android.

"Allegedly, they are extinct for the most part by this time; the one that attacked Camelot was apparently the only one left, and it was apparently slain by Arthur," the Vision explained.

"Allegedly?" Natasha asked, Steve looking slightly dejected at the news that the dragons were gone.

"The stories are… uncertain," the Vision said, shrugging out of a lack of a better explanation before he continued his story. "Regardless, it would appear that we have only our own future knowledge as explicit evidence of Merlin's abilities; either he has yet to achieve that power, or he is operating in secret to avoid exposure."

"So," Wanda asked, looking curiously at her teammates, "how do we do this?"

"Good question," Steve said, shaking his head as he looked at the scrolls in front of him for a moment, before he smiled and looked up at Wanda. "Actually, you might just be the in we need…"

AN 2: Just to clarify if anyone questions the idea that Natasha can't find her way back to the Crystal Cave from Camelot, I'm operating on the assumption that she's not used to having to navigate through forests without an electronic guide or external contact of some sort; she's good, but she just never had a reason to train for something like _that_ before now

Anyway, coming up next, Wanda will talk with Merlin to explain the situation as the plot escalates; hope you enjoy the results.


	7. The Lady Wanda's Magic

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

" _Nothing_?" Merlin repeated, looking at Gaius incredulously. "You've _never_ heard about them?"

"Magic is a complex and mysterious thing, Merlin; I can hardly be expected to be aware of every artefact that has ever existed," Gaius said. "Besides, we must take into account that Victor said the Infinity Order have taken care to conceal information about these Stones; that may account for why I haven't heard of them."

"Good point," Merlin nodded, looking thoughtfully at his mentor for a moment. "Still, at least it isn't something that they would come up with for a joke."

"Or a trick," Gaius noted. "I have to admit, if someone was attempting to infiltrate Camelot for some nefarious purpose, they could have come up with a less outrageous story."

As good as it was to hear that Gaius agreed that the Order could probably be trusted, it didn't leave him any closer to working out what was really going on in Camelot. Ever since he had heard the first reports about the mysterious armoured men attacking villagers and leaving strange wounds on the bodies, he had tried to work out what they were dealing with, but even if he could identify certain magical weapons that might cause some of the injuries witnessed, he couldn't find anything that could cause the kind of damage seen on its own.

He'd faced so many mysterious creatures and weapons over the years he'd spent in Camelot, but he'd never faced something that Gaius knew absolutely _nothing_ about; they might have had to go to Kilgharrah for more specific details about some of the threats they'd faced since Merlin came to Camelot, but they'd always had something to start with.

Thinking of the dragon, Merlin was just about to leave to ask for his opinion when the door opened and Lady Wanda walked in, her expression firm as she looked at the two men.

"Lady Wanda?" Merlin said, standing up to look at the woman in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I am here to ask if you could use your magic to help us," the woman in red said bluntly.

Merlin felt that he did a decent enough job at suppressing his initial shock at that statement, even if he still took a moment to respond.

"Wh-what?" he said, trying to sound casual as he looked apprehensively at the woman in red. "Why would you- what makes you think I have magic?"

"Because," Wanda said, raising her hand as red light suddenly began weaving around her outstretched fingers, "I can do this."

Glancing over at Gaius, Merlin supposed that it was only a slight relief to see that his mentor was as shocked at this revelation as he was.

"You… you have _magic_?" he said at last, feeling like he was experiencing far too many revelations for one day.

"Of a sort," Wanda replied, smiling as she lowered her hand to extinguish the red lights. "I actually received these abilities from contact with the Mind Stone, rather than being born with a natural talent."

"And… that's how you knew about me?" Merlin asked, looking uncertainly at the young woman. "Your own… powers?"

"Essentially, yes," the younger woman nodded. "My talents are the main reason I was offered a role in the Order; it was the best way for me to achieve my goal of helping others and learning what I am capable of."

"You are telling me that… these Stones can _give_ people this kind of magic?" Gaius asked in shock.

"Only under specific conditions," Wanda said. "When the Mind Stone… fell into evil hands, my brother and I were the only people to be successfully treated with its power, and he merely acquired great speed instead of… what I can do."

She paused for a moment, looking uncertainly between the two men before she shrugged. "I have heard that at least two of the other Stones could grant someone even greater powers than mine, but those powers would have been fatal if the wielder had channelled that power for long, and the most powerful of the stones would have destroyed anyone who tried to use it for more than a few moments."

"You have _heard_?" Gaius asked, looking curiously at young woman.

"My own association with the… Order… has been limited, as I only joined it recently, but I have heard… stories about their other encounters with the Stones," Wanda said, appearing particularly solemn as she spoke. "Their history has been complex, but the little I have heard is enough to disturb me, which is why it is important that you help us find the Time Stone before our foe does."

"The soldiers?" Merlin asked, relieved when his guess paid off. "Were they following you?"

"We don't know who they are or how they found the Stone, but we know enough to be sure that they are going to be a problem in our efforts to find it," Wanda said grimly. "Steve has found some possible locations, both for where our enemies might be and where the Time Stone might be found, but we require your help to find a way to narrow the options down."

"Me?" Merlin asked curiously. "But… if _you_ have magic-?"

"I have the power, but I am… still learning my full limitations," Wanda explained, looking apologetically at the young warlock. "What feats I have accomplished with this power have always been big rather than focused; we need your help if we are going to find the ones responsible-"

The sound of a scream from outside the room prompted Merlin and Wanda to run for the door, Gaius only able to look after them in silence as they ran for the door. As they dived into the street, Merlin's eyes widened as he took in the form standing in the main courtyard.

He had only briefly seen these men when the Infinity Order brought them in, but the armour was very distinctive; however, the most distinctive part of this sight was the fact that the face visible within the armour had a withered, twisted appearance that put him in mind of corpses he'd analysed with Gaius where the victims had taken some form of poison.

"Is that-?" he began.

"The man who died in interrogation earlier," Wanda said, raising her hands and hurling a blast of red energy at the man in the armour before Merlin could stop her. For a moment he thought about chastising her for using magic so publically, but when he saw the man/corpse still walking, he changed his mind and hurled a quick fireball at the figure's face; whatever spell Wanda had used, anything that could stay standing after a hit like that wasn't going to go down easily.

He smiled briefly when he saw the figure's head begin to burn- he wasn't a sadistic person, but something that looked like this clearly merited an extreme response- but his smile faltered when the figure raised an arm and fired some kind of energy blast at him that he only just managed to dodge, with no sign that the blazing head was having any real effect on his opponent. As he watched, Wanda launched another burst of red energy at the thing that practically tore one of its arms off, leaving a large hunk of metal and the remnants of a flesh arm that looked like it had already started to become rigid, but the figure continued to walk towards them as though nothing had happened.

"Oh no…" Merlin said under his breath, his mind flashing back to Morgana's immortal army or the wraith that had nearly killed Arthur in his first year in Camelot. Before he could do anything about this revelation, the thing- he couldn't consider it a man- raised its remaining arm and fired a blast of blue light at Wanda, who raised her hands to create a red shield of some sort between her and it. When the light struck the shield, it knocked her off-balance to strike the wall behind her, but as far as Merlin could see she didn't seem to be too badly hurt; he just wished that she had remained standing rather than falling to the ground.

As the figure turned to face him, Merlin prepared to try and hurl another spell despite their limited impact on his unknown foe so far, but that suddenly became unnecessary when something lashed out at the back of his opponent's head with such a powerful blow that head and helmet were literally torn from the thing's shoulders. Merlin could only stare incredulously at the sight of the new arrival, particularly when he lowered the hood of his cloak to reveal the masked face of Victor.

"How did-?" Merlin began.

"Steven and Natasha assist in my protection, but I am not without skills of my own in that area," Victor replied, looking at Merlin with a brief smile before he walked over to help Wanda to her feet.

"Vi..ctor?" the young woman said, looking at the masked man in surprise as she took the offered arm to help herself back to her feet. "How did you-?"

"I… sensed transmissions from this area," Victor explained, as he looked at the young woman with a certain anxiety in his manner that was clear despite his mask. "I believe that the armour itself was responding to a command to return to the enemy in the event of the death of its wearer; I can't be sure why, but the implications are far from encouraging."

"You… sensed transmissions?" Merlin asked, looking at the man in the mask in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"One of the more subtle abilities I am granted via my control of the Mind Stone," Victor explained briefly. "Something was being… sent… from this armour to some other source; I cannot explain _what_ , but there was an external agency of some sort at work here."

"I… see," Merlin said, briefly wondering what Victor was talking about before deciding not to worry about it; after all, he couldn't exactly explain how he was able to manipulate magic in such a manner that even Gaius said was impossible, so he couldn't expect Victor to explain how the Mind Stone he controlled could allow him to do anything.

"Well," Wanda shrugged as she looked at Victor, "as Sam would say, if someone's trying to stop us, we're on the right track."

"Sam?" Merlin asked in confusion.

"Another member of the Order, currently responsible for… protecting our archive in our absence," Victor said, as he looked at Merlin. "I assume that Wanda has told you about her… abilities?"

"Among other things," Merlin said, looking uncertainly at Victor. "How did you-?"

"In the name of ensuring the secrecy of the Stones, it would be best if you didn't take that question any further," Victor said, giving Merlin a firm stare before he looked back at his teammate. "We need to get to work as soon as possible; the longer we leave it, the harder it will be to find what we are looking for."

"Of course," Wanda said, before she turned to look at Merlin. "Will you help us?"

"I'll… do what I can," Merlin nodded after a moment's thought. "But you need to understand that-"

"We need to keep your magic and our own abilities secret from the rest of the kingdom?" Victor finished with a smile. "We understand."

He nodded thoughtfully as he turned to look at the body. "Right now, we need to examine this to find out what we're actually dealing with…"

He might still be uncertain what they were actually up against, but Merlin was already intrigued at the thought of what the Order might be able to teach him as well as their more immediate facing them right now.


	8. The Last Dragon

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

When the Vision and Wanda returned to their temporary rooms with both Merlin and a decapitated corpse wearing the armour of their earlier enemy, Steve didn't need his natural military skills to know that things had just become much more complicated.

"What happened?" he asked, hoping that focusing on establishing the facts would limit any questions Merlin might have about what had happened.

"The man who died in the interrogation chamber attacked us," Wanda said, indicating the body.

"He attacked you," Natasha repeated with an almost neutral stare. "While he was _dead_."

"I believe that something was controlling the body rather than it acting on its own," the Vision explained, as he placed the body on the room's main table after Steve had moved the scrolls that had been lying there earlier out of the way. "This body showed no signs of awareness that anything was happening even after Wanda struck him at virtually point-blank range; if there was any kind of consciousness, it should have responded to such an attack."

"I can confirm that," Merlin put in, his manner slightly anxious as he remembered what had happened during the fight. "I set this… thing's… head on fire and it didn't even seem to notice."

"Victor had to punch its head off to make it stop," Wanda put in, tossing the bodypart in question onto its chest as it lay on the table.

"Right…" Steve said, wincing slightly at the sight; he wasn't a stranger to death, but at least when he killed his foes during the war a gun tended to be less graphic than a decapitated corpse. "Well, it's safe to say we're dealing with someone very twisted."

"Quite," Merlin said, swallowing anxiously as he looked around the room before he spoke again. "So… Lady Wanda told me that you believe these soldiers who have been attacking are seeking the Time Stone for themselves?"

"It seems likely," Natasha said. "To be blunt, it's the only thing in Camelot that would have been likely to attract their attention."

"Really?" Merlin looked at her in surprise. "I don't deny that the Stone sounds powerful, but Camelot has more to offer-"

"That's a long story; just trust that we know what we're talking about in this regard," Steve said, hoping that Merlin wouldn't ask for more; he _really_ didn't want to have to explain time travel to someone from a medieval background, even if it was Merlin. "We're fairly sure that the Time Stone is going to be in this cave we found earlier; it's just that… well, it isn't there yet."

"It isn't there yet," Merlin repeated in a questioning tone.

"The problem," the Vision put in, looking solemnly at Merlin, "is that the Time Stone does not have a fixed point of existence that pins it down to one specific point in space and time. Even if we are fairly sure of _where_ it will be, that does not guarantee that we shall find that location _when_ the Stone is there, and we have reason to believe that our adversary has superior knowledge of when it shall be 'available'."

"Superior to your own?" Merlin looked at them in surprise. "I thought you said your order studied the Stones?"

"We gather knowledge of the Stones and send them to secure locations when possible; that does not mean that we are fully aware of everything about them," the android clarified. "I am certain that you do not know everything about magic despite your extensive abilities in that field, after all."

"Fair point," Merlin acknowledged. "So… to put it simply, your plan is to try and find these men to see what they know that you do not?"

"That's one possibility, certainly," Natasha said, nodding in acknowledgement before looking curiously at Merlin. "Unless you have an alternative?"

"Well… I _do_ have someone I might talk to about this…" Merlin said, his tone suddenly awkward as he looked between the Vision and Wanda. "Actually… if you two would care to accompany me, he may be able to offer some further insight into your own search…"

* * *

Following Merlin out into the countryside around Camelot, the Vision had to wonder who the young warlock was intending to talk to about any of this. He wasn't about to reject Merlin's offer of local knowledge and expertise, but even if he wanted to have faith in the wizard, he had to wonder who Merlin would turn to for help.

Quite frankly, this entire experience was forcing him to recognise the difference between his programmed knowledge and practical experience. The various files he'd received from JARVIS and Ultron had given him a great deal of general knowledge, but he had to recognise more than once that he didn't have much actual experience at interacting with others; even what knowledge he'd retained from JARVIS gave him limited insight into how people responded to each other (What he received from Ultron was naturally useless in that regard). He might know a fair amount about the Stones based on what he'd learned from Thor before he left for Asgard, but he was still unsure about how to share that knowledge with his fellow Avengers, and then there was the more personal question of what caused that strange reaction he felt whenever he looked at Wanda…

His thoughts were interrupted when Merlin came to a halt in a fair-sized clearing, raised his head up to the sky, and yelled something in a strange language that didn't match anything either JARVIS or Ultron had ever heard. For a few moments, the Vision and Wanda looked uncertainly at each other as Merlin stared up at the sky, but just as the two Avengers were about to ask Merlin what that was about, there was an answering roar in the sky and the sound of flapping wings.

Looking up, the Vision was sure that his jaw would have dropped if he'd been human.

"A _dragon_?" Wanda said, confirming that the Vision's eyes weren't malfunctioning even if they didn't explain what a supposedly mythological creature was doing flying towards them. Thor and the Asgardians could be interpreted as advanced aliens whose actions on Earth in the past had been interpreted as god-like, but how could dragons have actually existed without someone finding out about them in his time?

"Indeed, young witch," the dragon said, its voice deep and imposing as it landed in front of them, almost as large as the Chitauri leviathans the Vision remembered JARVIS confronting in the Iron Man armour. "Who are these people, Merlin?"

"Victor and Wanda, of the Infinity Order," Merlin explained, looking solemnly up at the dragon. "They have come to Camelot seeking an Infinity Stone-"

"An… Infinity Stone?" the dragon said, looking curiously at the Vision. "What is this?"

"You've never heard of them?" Merlin looked at the dragon in surprise.

"The world is a vast and complex place, young warlock; if we knew all there is to know, it would be a very dull existence indeed," the dragon said, before returning his gaze to the Vision. "Would you be willing to answer my question?"

"Simply put, the Infinity Stones are six of the most powerful objects in the known universe," the android explained, questions of the dragon's existence put aside for the moment. "Each stone grants the wielder with complete command of some fundamental element of the world around us, but all six were hidden away centuries ago to ensure that they would never be used to endanger others."

"Intriguing," the dragon said, looking curiously at the Vision. "I presume you are telling me about these because the stones are now a problem for Camelot?"

"Yes and no," the Vision replied. "Three have been placed in custody of other great forces who can be trusted with their protection, and my own Order guards one, but we have reason to believe that one of the remaining two stones will soon be revealed here, and must be found before it falls into the hands of our enemies."

"It will soon be here?" the dragon asked curiously.

"The stone we are searching for is the Time Stone," Wanda explained. "Its nature is… complicated, but we believe that it does not exist in one time or space, but is able to exist in several different times."

"And you believe that one of the times when it will exist is here?"

"Exactly," Wanda nodded. "Can you… sense it?"

For a moment, the dragon raised his head and stared up at the sky, eyes closed as though listening for something, before he lowered his head and looked apologetically at the two Avengers.

"I am sorry," he said at last, "but if there is something out there with power such as you have described, I am unaware of it."

"It was a long shot anyway," Wanda said, hoping she didn't sound as disappointed as she felt; considering the stories that the Vision, Thor and Steve had told them about the last Infinity Stones had had been discovered, they probably had some way of hiding themselves from most methods of searching.

"But you believe you know where it will be?"

"We have an idea, but we can't be sure of the location, and would rather not stake it out in case our enemies learn of it before we are ready," the Vision explained. "If you become aware of anything, please let us know as soon as you can; this power is far too great to be left in the hands of anyone."

"Even your own order?" the dragon asked, looking at the Vision with a slight smile. "Or did you think I would miss the trace of power around you?"

"My ties to the stone I guard are not relevant; all that you need to be assured of is that I will never use that power for anything other than to protect others, and am satisfied with what I understand of its abilities so far without looking for more," the Vision said firmly.

"You deliberately limit yourself?"

"I know what I need to do, and am content with that," the Vision countered. "The Stones are too powerful for regular use; I will not tap into its power for regular use unless I must."

"A laudable attitude, 'Victor'," the dragon said, even if there was a slight edge to his voice that hinted that he knew there was more to the android than what he had revealed to the rest of Camelot.

"Hold on; you can _use_ one of these Stones-?"

"My knowledge of its potential is limited, and I am reluctant to explore further after seeing what other stones are capable of," the Vision explained as he looked over at Merlin. "And that should make it clear to you that I am aware of the dangers that the Stones could pose in the wrong hands; my fellow initiates all trust me with a Stone, and I must be constantly aware of what I might be capable of if I should ever let loose."

"Hold on…" Merlin said, looking at the Vision with a thoughtful smile. "If you have access to a Stone yourself… couldn't I use that to try and find the other one?"

"Each stone draws on a different form of power-" Wanda began.

"But according to Thor, they all share a connection of some sort," the Vision finished, smiling as he looked at Merlin. "And if we can work out how to use that connection, we might be able to draw the Time Stone in before our enemies become aware of it."

"I would advise caution," the dragon put in from above. "If these stones are as powerful as you say, such power is not to be trifled with."

"Believe me, we are all aware of the dangers of power going out of control," Wanda said, her expression grim as she looked up at the dragon. "My brother died because of men who thought they deserved power; we shall _never_ be like them."

"Your brother?" Merlin asked. "Was he… like you?"

"He was… exceptionally fast," Wanda said solemnly. "He was killed in a struggle against a new enemy of the Order."

"I see," Merlin said, nodding sympathetically at her, before he looked at the Vision. "Anyway, if this is going to work, we should get back to Camelot so we can see what we can do."

"Indeed," the dragon said. "Anything as powerful as these stones must be found and contained as soon as possible."

As grateful as the Vision and Wanda were to have such a unique opportunity as to meet a dragon, they knew that they had to get on with the search for the Stone as quickly as possible; the sooner they had ensured that the stone was out of the hands of their enemy, the better.


	9. Meditations for Combat

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

"Dragons?" Natasha looked sceptically at the other two Avengers as they explained what had just taken place. "You met a _dragon_?"

"Merlin claimed that this dragon was the last of his kind," the Vision explained. "This may account for the lack of archaeological evidence of their existence in our time; other dragons may have been able to dispose of their remains in some manner that prevented them from leaving any trace, and this one may have simply… decided to pass on somewhere private."

"It's as good a theory as any," Steve said, shaking his head with a slight smile. "Wow… dragons were real."

"I do not know if we should feel depressed or relieved that they aren't around in our time," Wanda noted. "If this one was anything like the species as a whole, they were… an intimidating race."

"Which raises the question of how they went extinct if they were that big," Natasha put in.

"Something that I doubt anyone here is going to be willing to share with us," the Vision added solemnly. "The general populace would wonder why we are asking, and it is most likely a sensitive issue for anyone who knows that one dragon survived, so it is hardly a topic anyone is going to be interested in discussing in depth."

"True," Steve said, nodding in acknowledgement at the android. "Besides, even if I'd like to know more about the dragons, we still have more immediate concerns; if we can't find the Time Stone before our enemies… well, things could get ugly."

"To say nothing of whether we will be able to get home."

None of the Avengers responded to Wanda's observation, but they all knew they didn't have to. The issue of getting back to their own time was one that concerned all of them, no matter how fascinating they might find their current opportunity to see Camelot at its height, but for the moment protecting Camelot from whatever their unknown foe was up to had to be their main concern.

"Which is why I shall attempt to implement the dragon's suggestion now," the Vision said, as he sat down on the floor and crossed his legs, hands on either side in a classic meditative pose. "The sooner we can determine what we are looking for right now, the better for all concerned parties."

"You think you can do this?"

"I think it is worth an attempt," the Vision noted, closing his eyes and tilting his head back. "Here I go…"

For a few moments, the other three Avengers sat in silence as they stared at the meditating android, the gem on his forehead occasionally pulsing but otherwise giving no sign that it was 'in use'. Glancing over at Wanda, Steve noticed a faint glow in her eyes that he normally only saw when she was using her powers, but the calm expression her face dispelled the thought that she was preparing for any kind of battle; Natasha had given Wanda what training she could, but it was still hard for the 'Scarlet Witch' to control her emotions in a crisis.

After few a moments, the Vision opened his eyes, his usual blue eyes now surrounded by an orange glow that surprised his three teammates before it faded again.

"Found anything?" Steve asked.

"I… have detected _something_ ," the android confirmed. "It seems to be from the direction of the cave we arrived in…"

"At least we know we were right about _that_ ," Natasha noted.

"True," the Vision nodded at the assassin. "I admit that I am not programmed for the complexities of time-travel, but I do believe that something… _will_ be there soon."

"Complexities of time-travel?" Wanda asked.

"Is this like 'we will have been here before'?"

"Pardon?" the witch asked, looking at Steve in surprise.

"It's from a book one of my old S.T.R.I.K.E. team loaned me before… well, we learned the truth," Steve said with a wistful shrug. "Time-travel story; the main character used that phrase to describe the idea that he'd just landed somewhere that he would visit at an earlier date in his own personal future."

"Complicated," Wanda noted.

"Regardless, your basic idea is correct," the Vision nodded at Steve. "I can confirm that the Gem _will_ be at the cave soon, but apart from being certain that it is not there now, I cannot define how I know the future in a manner that the English language can adequately describe."

"So long as we can find some way to justify this to Arthur and the knights, that should be enough."

"Hold on; you _want_ to bring them into this?" Steve looked sharply over at Natasha. "I know we need help, but we've already seen what these people are capable of-"

"And we also know that they must be working under some sort of limit or they would have already won," Natasha countered. "I don't know if the reasons for them not mounting an all-out attack on Camelot are practical or they have some kind of personal reason, but we can all be sure that anyone coming back in time would have come equipped with everything they would need to deal with local resistance."

"And if they haven't done anything big yet, they probably won't?" Wanda asked.

"When you're looking for something big, you go all-out to ensure that you bring your biggest weapons to the party from the beginning," Natasha explained. "The fact that these people have advanced weapons but have limited themselves to sneak attacks suggests they're more interested in a subtle campaign of terror rather than mass conquest."

"Most likely they wish to avoid causing too many changes to the timeline," the Vision noted. "An increased sense of security in Camelot for a period of time may not have much impact on the future, but killing someone would create a greater risk."

"But they have been attacking people-"

"But not _killing_ them," Natasha noted as she glanced over at Wanda. "The knights mentioned that they were investigating attacks, but we haven't heard anything to suggest that they were killing people at the same time."

"Good point," Steve nodded. "If we wanted to, we could have easily taken out all of those knights when they appeared, and if these people have access to time travel as a regular thing, we can probably assume they're even more advanced than we are… so why draw out that fight for so long?"

"They want to keep Camelot contained while they wait for the Stone to appear," Natasha answered firmly.

"This… seems a bit elaborate for that," Wanda noted.

"After what we have seen the Stones achieve in the past, I think we can assume that anyone seeking to control one would go to great lengths to harness it," the Vision noted.

"True," Steve noted. "Schmidt unleashed an entire Hydra division on one small town because he'd traced rumours of the Tesseract to the local church before he even knew for certain that there was anything to those stories. I don't think anyone would travel this far back in time unless they knew what they were after, which means they also have a plan that they've probably been sticking to so far."

"Even with our presence?"

"We haven't had much of an impact yet, so we shouldn't have given anyone a reason to adjust their plans, particularly if they can't control when the Stone will appear," Steve noted. "Right now, where the Stone's likely to be, which means we can assume we know where those men will be; we just have to get there before they see us…"

Steve paused in silent thought, the other three Avengers waiting on his decision before he looked resolutely over at Natasha. "Think we can bend the rules by giving the knights a lesson in camouflage?"

"I doubt they earned their reputation by playing by the rules all the time," Natasha noted. "Of course, it would be best if we run it by someone else first."

* * *

"Camouflage?" Merlin repeated uncertainly as he looked between the four Avengers gathered in Gaius's room, turning over the idea they had just presented to him. "And that's… not a spell?"

"No, it's an… adaptation of a technique used by the Romans," Steve said, hoping that he was remembering his military history correctly. "They used to paint their ships blue and green so that they would blend into the sea and make it harder for enemies to see them as they came to the shore; associates of mine have… adapted the concept for clothing to use in stealth attacks on land."

"It seems a curious way to fight…" Gaius noted.

"Sometimes the best chance of victory is a sneak attack," Natasha put in. "Camelot can't have won all its victories by charging in with weight of numbers."

"No, but… this seems like a more underhanded method of victory than Arthur would prefer…"

"Believe me, I'd like it if wars could be won through purely honourable methods, but sometimes life just doesn't work out that way," Steve said, looking at Merlin in solemn understanding. "The people we're dealing with are dangerous, but they've been underestimating your own soldiers from the start and I have a feeling they don't think we're be able to do that much to help you; if we can catch them off-guard, we might be able to turn the tables and get the Stone away from them for good."

"But surely your Order-"

"The Order's too far away to help us now, and we don't know what kind of numbers we might be up against," Steve cut in. "Your concern is appreciated, Gaius, but we have to act quickly or we might miss our chance; Victor is fairly sure that the Time Stone will be accessible soon, so it's vital we force their hand before then."

Looking around the mysterious group, Merlin wondered what it was about them that made it so easy for him to trust them. They had come here with a vague story about ancient artefacts that not even Kilgharrah had heard about before they arrived, and he knew for a fact that they hadn't told the rest of Camelot the truth about Wanda, which left him wondering what other secrets they were hiding behind Victor's mask and their vague description of the other five Stones…

But at the same time, there was something about them he found familiar in a manner that he couldn't define. It went beyond Wanda's magic and Victor's own abilities, as Steve and Natasha had done nothing to suggest that they were anything other than skilled fighters, but even when he felt suspicious, he also felt a strange kinship when them that he couldn't identity.

"I'll… talk to Arthur about this," he said at last, looking solemnly between the other four. "I can't make any promises…"

"All we ask is that you try," Steve nodded reassuringly at Merlin. "Convince Arthur that we need the knights' help for a difficult situation, and we'll deal with everything else."


	10. The Foe Emerges

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

AN: Not my longest chapter, but considering that this introduces my villain at last, I thought it best to get it up sooner rather than later

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

Crouching in the trees close to the cave where she had entered this time only a few days ago, Wanda was once again relieved that her powers had allowed her to bypass most of the standard military training that her teammates required. She was given instruction in most tactical matters by Steve, Natasha or Sam when her teammates had the opportunity to do so- Colonel Rhodes' strength lay in more direct assault and the Vision's powers meant that he didn't really need conventional tactical experience- but she had gathered enough to know that she wouldn't have the patience for that kind of training on a full-time basis.

Besides, for the moment, what training she had was more than enough to keep up with their latest plan of attack. Convincing Arthur of the need for stealth had actually been fairly straightforward, since his knights could vouch for the danger that these men posed, even if his attitude suggested that he wouldn't be using this kind of battle strategy on a regular basis in future. Still, whether or not Arthur was comfortable with this strategy, considering that the Infinity Order had demonstrated a greater knowledge of the current threat so far, Arthur had deferred to their advice, the knights' usual armour covered by loose leather clothing in varying shades of green and brown. Steve and Natasha had even been able to use their official status as 'guardians' for the Infinity Order to present Arthur with as much plausible tactical information about the enemy's armour as they could, the two soldiers having determined some of its most likely weak points in their previous engagements.

The part that made her most uncomfortable was the fact that she had been assigned to work with only Merlin for this part of the plan. She appreciated the reasoning behind it, as it would be easier for her to use her own abilities if she was accompanied by the one person here who already knew what she was capable of, even if he assumed it was magic rather than the more complex answer, but being separated from the rest of the team still made her uncomfortable.

Still, she appreciated the lengths that the other three Avengers had gone to in order to give her the chance to make full use of her potential in this upcoming conflict. In order to prevent any suspicions about their powers, Steve had claimed that they had received word from a spy in their enemies that it was likely that their foes would be searching for the Stone in this area, just in case focusing on the cave raised too many questions about where they'd found their information, but that still left Wanda concerned about how they were going to deal with whatever was about to come. At the moment, the knights and the Avengers were scattered around the area where the cave was located- Merlin had given Steve the location and Steve had passed the details on to Arthur to keep the source secret- each one ready to take action. Merlin had been able to discreetly arrange for him and Wanda to be closest to the cave, arguing that the two of them would be the least use in a fight and they would try and scout for the enemy forces when in reality he had positioned them as close to the cave as possible.

"So… you're sure about this plan?" he asked, looking at Wanda uncertainly after a few moments of silent searching through the trees. "I get that I don't know what these men are fully capable of, but-"

"They underestimate your capabilities and I doubt they appreciate the impact our presence will have on things," Wanda said, looking firmly at him. "Captain Rogers and Natasha gave your people everything they have observed about these men in our past encounters, and our enemies don't know that we know they will be here; we shall be fine."

She just hoped she sounded more confident than she felt; considering what they were trying to protect, she was fully aware that far more was at stake on this particular mission than almost anything she'd done with the Avengers to date, even before she thought about when they were…

"Where are we even going right now?" Merlin asked, after they'd been walking for a few more minutes.

"As I said, Victor is fairly certain that the Time Stone-" Wanda began, before she nearly fell over the edge of a small ditch in the ground in front of her, cutting off her train of thought as she realised what she was looking at. "He believes it will be here."

"Here?" Merlin repeated, looking in the direction of Wanda's gaze before he realised where they were. "The Crystal Cave? The Stone is in the Crystal Cave? Why didn't you mention this before?"

"We… didn't know you knew about it," the Avenger noted uncertainly. "What is it?"

"The Crystal Cave is said to be the very place where magic _began_ ," Merlin said, looking pointedly at Wanda. "How can you not know about that?"

"As I mentioned, my own… I only joined the Order recently; my knowledge of such matters is limited," Wanda explained awkwardly.

"Your parents didn't-?"

"They had no powers and died before I… learned what I can do now," Wanda cut in, fighting back the pain at the memory of her lost parents; even if she no longer blamed Tony Stark alone for what had happened to her family, it still hurt to think of all that she had lost since that fateful bombing.

"Oh," Merlin said, his earlier indignation lost as he looked apologetically at her. "I… I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Not your fault," Wanda said, not wanting to discuss it further. "What matters is that the Time Stone will be here soon if it isn't already, which means that we have to be here to protect it from anyone who gets past our allies."

"If it isn't here already?"

"The Time Stone's existence is… complicated," Wanda shrugged out of a lack of anything better to say. "Since its power is tied to Time itself, it is not always in a specific location when it is expected; Victor is potentially aware of it due to his experience with the Mind Stone, but that is no guarantee."

"I… see," Merlin said, lost for anything better to say to such a statement.

"I know it is complicated; just focus on how we are here to stop anyone else getting-" Wanda began, before sounds filled the air. Wanda assumed that some of the sounds she couldn't identify were some kind of energy weapon being wielded by their enemies, but the sound of metal on metal and something heavy falling down at least suggested that Merlin and Wanda's allies were holding their own.

Following Merlin's example, Wanda fell to the ground, crouching as low as possible while still keeping an eye on the direction where the battle was currently being waged. Wanda was keeping her senses alert in case anyone came at them from behind, but for the moment, as long as she kept looking towards the sounds of battle, she was fairly certain that any attackers would come at them from this angle rather than any other. The sounds raised and fell as the two magic-users waited, with no way to be sure how their allies were faring, but the matter was decided for them when they saw three men in the distinctive armour of their enemies running towards the cave.

Wanda only took a moment to confirm that none of the knights were following these men before she leapt to her feet, hurling a burst of red energy at the nearest adversary. Just alongside her, Merlin followed her example as he sent another man into a tree, leaving the third man to raise some kind of gun towards them. Each of them dived to the side as the third man fired some kind of energy weapon, Wanda rolling to her feet in a move she'd learned from Natasha to fire a burst of energy at the armoured man. Her enemy deflected it with some kind of energy shield on his wrist that reminded her of Steve deflecting bullets with his shield, but that moment of distraction was all that Merlin needed to fire his own spell, sending the man flying backwards into a nearby tree.

"Who are you?" Wanda said, walking up to glare at the man, energy swirling around her hands as Merlin moved to join her. "What are you doing here?"

"You know that," the man countered, glaring up at her. "The real question is what _you're_ doing here."

"We didn't earn our reputation because we limit ourselves," Wanda responded; she might be new to her role as an Avenger, but she was becoming proud of what she'd accomplished, and if she was reading this man's words correctly, she wasn't going to let him realise that the Avengers were actually out of their depth in this situation. "I will ask again, what are you doing here?"

"Helping the greatest warrior ever known," the man said, before he reached for his left gauntlet and pressed a switch on it. Wanda and Merlin simultaneously lashed out with bursts of magic that knocked the man out, but in a manner that was clearly in response to his last action, a strange glow appeared in the middle of the area just in front of the crystal cave.

"What-?" Merlin began, before the glow became suddenly brighter. Instinctively Wanda raised her hands to generate a shield, but it soon became clear that the glow had no actual force behind it, even if she waited for a moment before lowering it.

Looking at where the glow had been just moments ago, Wanda wasn't sure if she should be amused or disturbed at the sight before her. Like their still-unidentified enemies, the new arrival wore green and purple, but where those men had worn a strange kind of armour that reminded her of Stark's suits more than anything else, this man's clothing was somehow simpler and more intimidating. The only actual 'armour' he seemed to be wearing was a purple helmet with a blue mask that seemed perfectly moulded to his face, but while the rest of his clothing was in a similar green-and-purple pattern, it seemed more like cloth than armour, with unusually high boots reaching almost to the top of his legs.

"Well well well," the new arrival said, looking at Wanda with a grin that was somehow mimicked by his mask. "An Avenger in Camelot, of all places… I knew that your team had a formidable history, but I never expected to find you here…"

"Avenger?" Merlin repeated in confusion.

" _Later_ ," Wanda said, her gaze fixed on the new arrival as she indicated the fallen soldiers around her and the young wizard. "You are the leader of these men, I take it?"

"An astute guess, Miss… Maximoff, I presume?" the man smiled at her with a satisfied gleam in his eye. "May I call you Wanda?"

"Introduce yourself."

"Fair enough," the man shrugged. "I am Kang the Conqueror, ruler of the future… and once I have acquired what is within this cave, the ruler of far more than that."


	11. Clash with the Conqueror

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognise; if you're on this site, you know the drill.

Feedback: Always appreciated.

AN: For the record, with the recent appearance of the Time Stone in _Doctor Strange_ , I have adjusted my plans for the Stone overall, but I worked out a plan that allows me to incorporate the Time Stone's role in _Strange_ without contradicting anything I've already written already; hope you like the results

Tempus Fugit, Infinitas Manet

"Kang the Conqueror?" Wanda repeated, looking sceptically at the man in front of her. "You honestly call yourself that?"

"A fitting title for the greatest ruler of any age, Miss Maximoff," the man in green and purple said mockingly.

"You know-?" Wanda began before she realised the risk of such a statement

"Of course I know," the man smiled. "I am from the future, my dear; I know things about you that you have not even _done_ yet-"

"Excuse me?" Merlin cut in, glaring incredulously between the two strangers. "You're from the _future_? As in, you've travelled in time?"

"Naturally."

"But that's-"

"Impossible?" the man called Kang finished with a smirk. "With your pitiful methods, certainly, but I have far more resources available to me than anything your pathetic time periods could master-"

His speech was cut short when Wanda struck him in the face with a blast of red energy, sending the new arrival straight to the ground with great force. For a moment, Wanda hoped that the battle was over, but then the masked man leapt back to his feet, glaring in outrage at Wanda.

"You _dare_?" he yelled.

"If you can't take the hit don't call yourself a conqueror," Wanda countered firmly, even as she readied new energy bursts in her hands; she might be the newest Avenger, considering whatever aspects of Stark's former artificial intelligence were used to create the Vision, but she knew a threat when she faced one even if she wasn't sure she believed his story. "I do not know who you are, but you _cannot_ take the Time Stone-"

"And you feel that _you_ are worthy of its power?" the man called Kang asked, glaring mockingly at her.

"Maybe not," Wanda said, before she fired the energy bursts at her foe. "But I know that _you_ are not!"

It was a bold statement to make, but when this man showed up with weaponry that surpassed anything Wanda had seen Stark provide for the Avengers to attack knights with swords, she felt comfortable assuming that he wouldn't have good intentions if he got his hands on the Stone. For a moment, as her first blast struck Kang, Wanda had hope that this battle would be over soon, but that hope was quickly dashed when the second attack simply rippled around Kang without any more visible effect than knocking him back a few feet.

"Did you think that would really work?" the purple-and-green-clad man laughed mockingly. "I allowed you the opportunity to strike before to test your mettle, but-"

Behind Wanda, Merlin yelled something that she didn't have time to hear properly before he fired his own burst of magic at Kang. Unlike her own attempt, this one made a more obvious impression, seemingly tearing holes in whatever Kang was using to protect himself as small strips were torn from his armour. It didn't seem to actually affect whatever he was using, as Kang turned to fire another blast at Merlin who was only just able to stop it with a spell of his own, but it was enough of a distraction for Wanda to launch her own blast of energy at their strange foe. Caught off-guard, Kang was actually sent staggering backwards at this point, but the distraction was only enough for Wanda to send another blast before he raised his weapon and fired. Acting in unison, Wanda and Merlin simultaneously cast a shield spell that deflected the worst of the attack, but it was still enough to send them both backwards as Kang turned up the intensity of his weapon.

"You believe that your foolish power is a match for my brilliance?" Kang asked, laughing mockingly at his opponents. "I will-"

His rant was interrupted when a large circular object struck the side of his weapon, knocking his blast to the side before a figure in blue armour struck him in the side.

"Captain Rogers?" Wanda smiled in relief at the sight of the Avengers' leader, followed closely by the Vision, his robe falling to the ground to reveal his usual golden cloak and gold-and-green body. "But the battle-?"

"Natasha, Arthur and the knights have the soldiers on the ropes, and Vision sensed that we'd be needed here," Steve explained, glancing grimly at their new foe as he adjusted his grip on his returned shield. "I take it he's the one in charge?"

"Well well," the man called Kang said, looking at the new arrival with a slight smirk. "So Captain America is in this time now?"

"Should I know you?" Steve countered, adjusting his shield as he stared at his foe.

"Oh, not at this point, certainly, but in the future… well, that is another matter entirely," Kang replied, his smirk becoming contemplative as he studied the other man. "Of course, if you wish to make this interesting…"

"The only thing I want is for you to take your men away and end this pointless assault," Steve said firmly. "You call yourself a conqueror like it's something to be proud of and then attack an army that has no chance against your men?"

"And you believe that _you_ have any chance against me?" Kang countered mockingly, slinging his gun over his back as he smirked at the Avengers leader. "You may be the finest warrior of your age, but Kang is a warrior for _all_ the ages-!"

Steve cut that particular rant off by charging forwards to slam his shield into the side of Kang's head, knocking the other man off-balance.

"Get the Stone!" Steve yelled, adjusting his grip on his shield as he looked over at his allies. "I'll hold-!"

His words were interrupted as another small group of soldiers appeared on the battlefield, most likely broken off from the main group when they had noticed Steven and the Vision leaving their comrades. After a moment's silent communication with the others, Merlin and the Vision turned their attention to the other soldiers while Wanda ran into the cave.

She hated leaving her teammates behind, but of all four currently fighting Kang's men, she was the one with the least combat experience, which she had to admit made her fundamentally the most expendable at this point.

Taking a moment to shoot off one last burst of energy that forced back the soldiers immediately by her current position, Wanda turned and dived into the cave, ignoring the sounds of battle from behind her. As she ran through the darkened cave, Wanda soon noted the same strange crystals she and the other Avengers had witnessed in their first visit to the cave in the future, still glowing with some inner light even as she went further into the cave.

Finally, just as she was becoming concerned that the Gem still wasn't there, Wanda's eyes fell on a strange golden object, floating in the middle of the cave, that resembled two pyramids that had been put together after one was turned upside down. She couldn't define exactly _how_ she knew it, but she could sense that this was exactly what they were looking for, reaching out to take the object in her hands. The sensation became even stronger as she came in contact with it, her hands glowing red as the object in her hands glowed gold, but the sensation faded to a less vivid degree as she turned to head back out of the cave.

Reaching the entrance, Wanda paused as she took in the fight still unfolding, Merlin hurling all kinds of spells at Kang's forces while the Vision relied on his physical strength to overcome them, leaving Steve to battle Kang. Even as the Scarlet Witch watched, Kang forced Steve's shield aside to strike him in the face with an elbow only for Steve to turn the move against him by throwing his foe over his head, Kang attempting to stab the Avengers' leader after knocking him to the ground only to lose his sword as the shield returned to its owner. With the shield returned to him, Steve lashed out with a powerful kick that knocked Kang off-balance, the conflict quickly degenerating into a series of punches so quick that Wanda thought only Pietro could have been faster. For a moment, the two were matched in their blows, but then Kang lashed out to strike her leader on his exposed chin and Steve was sent staggering.

"HA!" Kang laughed mockingly at the dazed Steve. "You are no match for my own prowess, Captain-!"

"But maybe _this_ is," Wanda cut in, walking out of the cavern with her prize clutched in her hands.

"You- the _Crystal_?" Kang yelled, quickly turning to point his gun at her. "You would _dare_ to wield _my_ prize against _me_?"

"I think you'll find that you have not claimed it yet, and when I wield the power of an Infinity Stone myself-"

"The bastardised power taken by fools who had no idea what they were working with or how to use it; I have knowledge of sciences beyond _anything_ your pitiful creators could comprehend!" Kang yelled, still aiming his weapon at her. "You _will_ hand over that Crystal, or I shall-!"

Wanda raised the Cyrstal-

* * *

Steve could never be entirely sure what took place in the next few moments. He registered that the dual pyramids that Wanda was holding probably had some connection to the Time Stone they'd come here looking for in the first place, but he definitely hadn't expected the burst of multi-coloured energy that came from his teammate to strike Kang and his remaining men. He barely managed to duck to the ground before he was caught in the blast, glancing up to confirm that the Vision and Merlin had done the same as the sky above him basically glowed. Kang was just sent staggering back as the energy struck him, but his assembled soldiers seemed to collapse even as Steve watched, the strange crystal's energy enveloping their enemies while leaving Steve, Merlin and the Vision unharmed.

After the energy had enveloped the battlefield for a few moments, the glow vanished, leaving Kang's various soldiers all slumped on the ground, crumpled in a manner that Steve recognised as the pose of the dead almost without needing to confirm it. Quickly getting back to his feet, Steve hurried over to Wanda to check her pulse, sighing in relief at the steady throb beneath his fingers. With his teammate's health confirmed, Steve turned his attention to the golden pyramid thing that had just slipped from her fingers. Glancing back at the groaning Kang as their foe began to get back to his feet, Steve picked up the crystal-

 _-Erskine's life saved when Steve was just that bit quicker to pull him to safety-  
_ _-Bucky pulled into the present before Zola's soldier shot him off the train-  
_ _-The Skull's plane diverted to a safe location while he returned to New York and Peggy-  
_ _-Phil Coulson, alive and well, standing with Nick Fury as they saved the helicarrier-  
_ _-Loki's wormhole disabled before the Battle of New York could begin, all destruction averted even as the team assembled-  
_ _-Alexander Pierce exposed and destroyed before he could launch Project Insight as anything more than an idea-  
_ _-SHIELD still strong, its corruption torn out while its public reputation was unmarred-  
_ _-Sokovia intact and unscarred from Ultron's averted rampage, the Vision_ and _JARVIS active in Stark Tower-  
_ _-Pietro Maximoff part of the team alongside his sister as they faced the next wave of HYDRA agents-_

Those were just the clearest images, but there was more… so much more… so much he could _make_ happen… so much this thing would allow him to control…

"NO!" he yelled, slamming his hands together and shattering it after taking a moment to attend to one last bit of business.

He could do everything he'd seen, save everyone he wanted, defeat every villain he'd ever even heard of, never mind faced…

But he'd accepted the role of Captain America to stand up for freedom and man's right to choose his own path rather than be governed by someone else… and even if that meant that letting bad things happen, the cost of using that Crystal would be too high for him to pay. For a moment, he saw a flash of green in the palm of his hands, and felt his only request slot into place, and then the energy vanished, leaving only a few strange fragments as any sign that it had ever been there.

"You… you _fool_!" Kang yelled, storming over to Steve as he stared at the other man's hands. "You mouth-breathing, unmitigated fool! How could you hold a power like _that_ \- know it for what it is- and _destroy_ it?"

"If you have to ask that question, you'll never understand my answer," Steve countered, glaring back at Kang as he shifted back into a combat stance.

"And in any case, he destroyed nothing," the Vision put in, walking over to join Steve. "What he shattered was merely a container for the Time Gem in the same sense that Loki's Scepter and the Tesseract were containers for the other Gems we have encountered. The Crystal was destroyed, but the Time Gem itself has been thrown out of time for now, and will return, either in our present or at some prior date, whenever it… _feels_ right."

"' _Feels right_ '?" Kang repeated, glaring indignantly at the android. "You believe-?"

"I _believe_ ," Merlin cut in, stepping forward and raising a warning hand, "that right now, you have lost this particular struggle, so it's time for you to step aside and go back to wherever you came from before we have to make this even _less_ pleasant."

"And we second that statement," the Vision confirmed, helping Wanda to her feet as she joined her teammates, all glaring at him despite Wanda's need to lean against the Vision to keep herself standing. "You came here to confront an army that would have been helpless against your men-"

"I sought the greatest prize of all-!"

"And you have been defeated," the Vision cut in firmly.

"Now," Steve said, looking firmly at their masked foe. "You've lost your men, and you've lost what you came here for, so do yourself and us a favour and get out of this time frame before we have to make this more… unpleasant."

Kang glared at the Avengers for a moment, but then nodded in grim resignation, tapping a button on his gauntlet and fading away even as he glared at the assembled heroes. Almost as soon as he had vanished, the sound of approaching footsteps filled the air, prompting the Vision to re-done his mask before the knights of Camelot and Natasha hurried into the field.

"What happened here?" Arthur asked, looking around the battlefield in confusion at the various dead soldiers. "Those men we were fighting all just… dropped?"

"Their leader appeared to be linked to his men through… some kind of spell," Wanda cut in, rushed but anxious to answer that question before things went too far. "When we eliminated the man who identified himself as the leader, it appears to have killed all of his fellows simultaneously."

"Why would someone do that?" Elyan asked, looking at the fallen men with a mixture of grief and uncertainty.

"It makes a good way to guarantee loyalty," Natasha noted grimly. "You are unlikely to face rebellion if your men believe that your defeat will result in their demise."

"Grim, but effective," Gawain noted, before he looked at Wanda with a slight smile. "So, if that's them dealt with-"

"We must be off," the Vision said, stepping forward with an edge to his stance that Steve could have almost considered jealousy if it came from anyone else. "We have driven these men away, but now we must… claim the Time Stone for ourselves."

"You can't trust outsiders with your secrets?" Lancelot asked.

"It's easier on all concerned if as few people as possible know about the Stones," Natasha cut in. "We trusted you with knowledge of their existence, but after that…"

"We understand," Arthur nodded, looking solemnly at the assembled Avengers. "If we should encounter another Stone…"

"We will let you know if a situation like that arises," the Vision nodded solemnly.

"It's been an honour to work with you," Steve said, stepping forward to shake Arthur's hand.

"The same here," Arthur nodded at Steve before looking at the Vision. "Your order is a very unique collection, Victor."

"We do our best," the Vision nodded at Arthur.

"Will we… see each other again?" Merlin asked, looking curiously over at Wanda as the knights turned to leave the field.

"I… cannot be sure," Wanda said, smiling slightly at Merlin as she shook his hand. "But… it has been a pleasure."

"Same here," Merlin replied, nodding back at the young woman, an awkward smile on his face as he turned back to join the knights. The four time-displaced Avengers watched silently as the knights of Camelot left the area, Steve waiting until the footsteps had fallen silent before he turned to look at Wanda.

"So," he asked, indicating the bodies lying around them, "what did you actually do to these men?"

"I used the Time Stone to make them all age to death," Wanda replied simply.

"You did?" Natasha and the Vision looked at Wanda in surprise.

"I cannot explain how I _knew_ how to do that, but I knew at the time," Wanda affirmed. "Kang's armour had some kind of… defence that allowed him to deflect that attack, so he was not affected in the same manner…"

"Makes sense," Steve noted, looking at the bodies around them. "If I learned anything from Schmidt, it's that leaders like them tend to keep their best resources to themselves…"

He glanced over at Natasha. "And you said that the men you were fighting with the knights just collapsed?"

"The Stone must have reached out to find every one of Kang's forces and eliminate them in the same manner once Wanda issued that command," the Vision noted.

"Even if I couldn't see them?" Wanda asked in surprise. "It can do that?"

"There is a reason Thor's people fear these Stones," the Vision noted, removing his mask to indicate the golden stone set into his forehead. "Even they do not fully understand the power that any man would possess if he acquired even one of them, never mind all of them; I have been bonded with this Stone for months and still know little about its full potential."

"OK," Natasha nodded, her expression uncomfortable before she looked at the rest of the team. "So what happened to the Stone?"

"It's been… lost," Steve shrugged.

"Lost?" Natasha repeated. "Then how-?"

"Don't worry about getting home," Steve smiled, indicating the cave. "There's a way back in there."

"Pardon?" Wanda asked.

"When I held the Stone at the end, I used it to generate a portal back to our time," Steve explained. "I… obviously, I don't _know_ what I was doing, but like Wanda said, I had… some understanding of it when I was actually in contact with the Stone, so I used it to create a portal in the cave so that we could get home once Kang was dealt with."

"And these?" Natasha asked, indicating their clothing.

"I… I can't explain _how_ … but I've instructed the portal to send our clothing back to where we found it," Steve shrugged uncertainly. "We go through the portal, and I… asked it to restore our original clothes and send what we're wearing right now back to where it was when we first found it."

"So… our clothing becomes a temporal paradox?" Natasha asked.

"It would be fairer to call it a physical bootstrap paradox," the Vision noted.

"A what?" Wanda asked.

"A theoretical situation where information, or anything, is acquired as a result of time travel in a manner that means that it could not have existed without time travel in the first place," the Vision explained. "In this case, our current clothing is present where we found it because Captain Rogers 'arranged' for it to be there, but as a result there is no explanation for how it came into existence in the first place…"

"Unless time is going to collapse because we're wearing clothes that nobody actually _made_ in the first place, I wouldn't focus on it," Natasha noted, turning her attention back to the cave. "So we go into the cave, go through this portal Steve created, and we're home?"

"From what I… remember, yes," Steve nodded.

"Right," Natasha nodded. "Let's go."

With those words, the group walked into the cave, a quick glance around the dark cavern all that was needed to confirm that there was now a glowing rift in the middle of the cave, the crystals in the walls now glowing the same strange blue colour as the rift. Exchanging glances with the rest of the team, Steve walked up towards the rift and walked through it, his body suddenly feeling lighter as the armour he wore for the last few days vanished, replaced by the lighter, more modern costume he had worn ever since he first met with Phil Coulson.

This had been an unconventional mission by any standard, but it was certainly one that Steve and the others would remember afterwards. Travelling to Camelot and fighting a man who claimed to be from the future to protect an ancient artefact that could manipulate time was certainly nothing he'd ever imagined doing when he'd originally tried to enlist, but he supposed that was the price he paid for being Captain America.

* * *

AN 2: For those wondering, the form of the Time Stone when Wanda discovered it is basically inspired by the Forever Crystal, a time-bending artefact that played a key role in the miniseries 'Avengers Forever'; since we have the precedent of the Cosmic Cube of the MCU containing the Space Stone, it didn't seem unreasonable to combine the Forever Crystal and the Time Stone at this point, with the assumption that it ended up in the past after these events to fulfil its role in 'Doctor Strange'


End file.
